There are concerted national and international efforts to strengthen civil society and build local governance in order to enhance, develop and increase the efficacy, responsiveness and inclusivity of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutes in Palestine. Hence, the Ministry of Labour (MoL) has established Local Employment and TVET councils (LET) in all areas of the West Bank in Palestine. The MoL has stated that the main goal of the LET councils is to support TVET and employment through strengthening cooperation between local TVET stakeholders and TVET providers. However, this empowerment and strengthening of the LET council members’ cooperation has proven to be one of a number of challenges hindering its role of enhancing the quality of TVET provision.

This article takes a practice-based approach by examining the role of the local governorate and LET councils in Palestine in their contributions towards local governance for TVET development. It also examines how cooperation among TVET institutions over the years of TVET educational reform has failed or succeeded in advancing systematic development of governance, as well as identifying causative factors and potential remedial (or enhancement) measures. This article argues that, to strengthen the efficacy of LET council governance, these councils should have their own independent legal and organisational structure, and their own financial status. This would enable LET councils to take advantage of the potential of all stakeholders and to ensure organised and committed TVET institutional efforts. Furthermore, the article discusses what lessons it can learn from the experiences of other countries to develop and enhance good governance practices.

Keywords: Governance in TVET, Local Governance, Local Employment and TVET Councils (LET).

1        Introduction

Governance in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has been one of the primary obstacles to structure, development and enhancement in Palestine, demonstrating its current inefficacy (European Training Foundation 2020). Since 1996, there have been discussions on adopting a new governance model to ensure coordination of all TVET programmes and interventions in Palestine. The proposed structure for TVET strategy includes representation from relevant stakeholders, including government policymakers, employers, employees, public and private training providers, civil society, and development partners (GIZ 2010).

Only since TVET reform in Palestine in 2010 has the participation of all stakeholders in the governance approach to strive for a unified system been taken into consideration (European Training Foundation 2017). The strategy clearly stated that a governance model should be adopted to ensure the harmonisation of all TVET programmes and interventions (GIZ 2010). The structure will include all relevant stakeholders, as well as an increased focus on the private sector, developing ongoing long-term relationships with the private sector and the local community through programmes and projects for TVET students as part of their Work-Based Learning (WBL) activities (Samara 2016). This is to enable the TVET system to strengthen the confidence of all current stakeholders and obtain further support, ultimately resulting in the enhanced quality of TVET programmes. The programmes themselves are intended to train participants in skills that match and respond to the ongoing demands of an ever-evolving labour market. As a result, a national TVET strategy was developed with a governance structure including representatives from the diversified stakeholders with two main managing bodies: the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Labour (MoL). This led to the establishment of the Higher Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training in 2005. The council comprised 16 representatives from both private and public TVET institutions. The higher council aimed at increasing cooperation among the stakeholders (Hashweh 2022). Despite initial signs of progress, this cooperation proved to be ineffective and was unable to achieve the desired goals. Essentially, there was still a significant lack of human and financial resources, compounded by the absence of unified leadership. Furthermore, the fragile political situation in Palestine served to further fragment the TVET system by hindering members from their responsibilities and roles in the council structure (European Training Foundation 2014). Thus, the nature of the conflict in Palestine requires a specific governance model and intervention to be effective (Justino 2017). Adopting a local governance model for improving local capacity and local cooperation has been seen as a pathway to developing and enhancing TVET governance in Palestine.

With the national governance structure proving ineffectual, alternative solutions, initiatives and tools were piloted at the local level combining both top-down and bottom-up approaches (European Training Foundation 2014). Some local actors started to play a crucial role in taking the lead to develop local governance more than any other TVET providers or representatives on the top national level. A bottom-up approach to developing local governance gives ownership and freedom to local governments, leaders and actors that could lead to real transformation in governance structure (Jacko 2012). The primary leading local institutes are is the governorate and the local office of the Ministry of Labour. The governorates of the Palestinian National Authority are the administrative divisions of the Palestinian Territories. The governorate office acts as the umbrella for all the institutes in the city and is responsible for the vast majority of public services including education, agriculture and industry. Its responsibilities also extend to maintaining public security, order and the protection of public freedoms and rights of citizens (GIZ 2010).

In 2009, the MoL established LET councils in three areas of the West Bank in Palestine. The main purpose of these LET councils is to initiate and facilitate the development and implementation of measures to respond to the demand for skills in the labour market. The principle strategy for these measures involved improving the quality of TVET provisions by enhancing and strengthening local TVET stakeholders’ cooperation. Cooperation between LET councils and TVET is demonstrated by developing labour market tools to strengthen the connection between TVET supply and labour market demand. Ensuring the participation of all TVET stakeholders, including local communities and civil society organisations (European Training Foundation 2017), supports and promotes the TVET policy-making process and implementation thereof. Subsequently, the LET council serves as an interlocutor between the local and national TVET institutes in Palestine.

LET Councils also work as a provider of labour market services and as an initiative to unify efforts, expertise and resources of all kinds to strengthen labour market governance and develop active labour market policies and programmes, ensuring stronger linkages and more efficient alignment between supply and demand sides (UNESCO-UNEVOC 2012). Currently, LET councils have been working as part of the local government in every city in Palestine. To provide some perspective, the work of the LET Council could be compared to that of the German Employment Agency – Die Agentur für Arbeit which is considered the largest service provider for German labour, offering direct assistance to job seekers, including consultation and unemployment benefits, whilst also researching and developing relevant policies and programmes to respond to the needs of the labour market (Antoni & Schmucker 2019).

LET councils were first introduced in 2009 with the intention of changing the culture of business on a local level in all cities to create a cumulative national impact. Changing norms and behaviours towards stronger social cooperation can yield better results for local communities through local governance development (Justino 2017). Nevertheless, they were unable to implement any programmes or projects until 2013. Since then, however, LET councils have been an efficient tool to enhance TVET governance at both the local and national levels. Initially, all LET councils consisted of salaried employees from the Ministry of Education or Labour. This was beneficial at first, as no further funds were required to keep the LET council operating. In fact, this proved to be a critical factor in its survival. Moreover, LET councils suffered from a lack of resources and were dependent on donors to fund TVET projects (European Training Foundation 2017). This meant that, from their inception, LET councils lacked financial independence and were entirely dependent on the various ministries and donors.

In essence, LET councils are an initiative to popularise the importance of vocational training in order to combat unemployment. They have been an important tool for change, raising awareness of the importance of TVET in finding new opportunities in light of the high rate of unemployment in Palestinian society. Unemployment rates have been especially high among graduates from Palestinian universities (Sayre 2017). Initially understood as being attributable to a lack of suitable job opportunities, the phenomenon was due rather to a lack of skills and knowledge to meet local market needs. Such local initiatives are important for local people, local businesses and all local TVET stakeholders. Nonetheless, cultural factors have played a crucial role in the successful transformation of LET council governance structure, regardless of the political and institutional situation in the country (Perryman & Perryman 2017). There is an increasingly widespread acceptance of the role of social and private stakeholders in TVET and their cooperation on different approaches.

2        Establishing the LET Councils as a tool for TVET governance development

Since the Palestinian Authority assumed control of the West Bank in 1996, and despite all the efforts to develop the Palestinian economy, especially the private sector, the ongoing Israeli occupation of the West Bank continues to hold back economic development in Palestine. This is largely reflected in extensive poverty and the high rate of unemployment (Hilal 2019). Naturally, this has also affected the role of the private sector in public-private partnerships and the efficient participation of TVET stakeholders in any forms of cooperation to structure and develop national TVET governance. In 2009, in an attempt to solve these ongoing issues, an initiative from the MoL established 12 Local Employment and Training (LET) councils in all areas of the West Bank-Palestine (European Training Foundation 2014). In addition to their goal of responding to the needs of the labour market, LET councils enhance and regulate the local cooperation between institutions and other relevant stakeholders. Simply put, the LET Council works as an instrument to bridge the gap between the market supply and demand, working primarily to coordinate governmental and non-governmental efforts to ensure organised institutional efforts to achieve the objectives of the council. Meanwhile, on a local level, it helps employers and industries to prioritise workforce development through their participation in the LET council in their city.

LET councils have been not working effectively, nor performing their responsibilities to achieve their goals, in light of several challenges (European Training Foundation 2017). Besides the political situation, there have been many other obstacles to developing TVET governance in Palestine. Above all, the TVET system in Palestine remains a highly fragmented system. Strategies have been developed, but have yet to be applied – especially in relation to coordination and governance (GIZ 2010).

LET council activities and the level of cooperation among their stakeholders vary from one city to another. This depends on many factors and elements including the city population, the size and the involvement of the private sector in their activities. Other factors include the power of the leadership culture of the city institutes and their capacity to lead and achieve advanced cooperation with all stakeholders, and the level of their commitment to achieving the LET council goals and efficacy (Samara 2021).

3        LET Council structure

The Ministry of Labour is the main leading body for LET councils in Palestine. There are other stakeholders (who are also members of the LET council) consisting of both governmental and non-governmental organisations, as well as individual experts, trainers, academics and researchers. Every LET council has members who are permanently assigned to the Ministry of Labour (MoL), the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of National Economy (MoNE).

According to the Ministry of Labour (Ministry of Labour 2013), every LET council has the same structure in every city as follows:

1. The governorate who acts as the head of the LET council
2. The LET council coordinator who is also the Head of Employment in the Ministry of Labour
3. The executive board consists of five members of different stakeholder interests. Two of these members are from the MoE and the MoL as permanent members and the others could be from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry or women representatives.
4. The General Assembly of the Council consists of members of local institutes and organisations in the city. In some cities, like Hebron, the general assembly consists of around 80 local organisations and institutes. These members include but are not limited to:

• Government institutions in the city such as local universities, schools, colleges, ministries, etc.
• Continuing Education departments
• Municipal and village councils
• Local development agencies
• Women’s institutes
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Trade unions
• Employers’ associations
• Labour unions
• Public and private TVET institutions
• Small and medium enterprises
• Individual researchers, experts, academics or trainers
• Local banks
• Donors
• Implementing agencies
• The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)

5. The General Assembly of the Council also consists of an evaluation committee for professional counsel and technical support. These committees have members of different professions, academics, researchers, and experts whose work is to examine, choose, recommend, prioritise and evaluate projects for the donors. Evaluation happens according to the quality and demands of the local market. Committee members meet to assess projects, bound by confidentiality to ensure that the work of the LET council remains objective and professional. These committees do not work with the LET council on a permanent basis. They work temporarily upon request and committees are subject to change. The members of these committees demonstrate responsibility and commitment to work with the LET council and are mostly engaged on a voluntary basis to provide counsel and other professional support.

4        LET councils good governance practices

Good governance should have certain criteria to meet the needs of society while making the best use of available resources. Some of these characteristics are, but are not limited to, responsiveness, efficient participation, transparency, equity and inclusiveness (Bekele & Ago 2020). When good governance is achieved and practised, it brings an increased quality of life to people and the community (Jindal 2014). The elements of TVET governance also meet the required UNESCO strategy priorities which were defined in UNESCO strategy for TVET for 2022-2030. The three priority areas are: fostering youth employment and entrepreneurship, promoting equity and gender equality, and facilitating the transition to green economies and sustainable societies (UNESCO 2021). Accordingly, LET councils in Palestine have been working earnestly and investing all available resources to develop good governance practices that can bring the best results to all TVET stakeholders, members and to the community as well.

4.1        Promoting equity and gender equality

One notable characteristic of LET councils is their commitment to gender equality and empowering the female population. They do not exclude women as main participants in training or any project organised by the councils. In fact, women are one of the main target beneficiary groups for LET councils who provide professional career advice and resources, notably in typically male-dominated fields such as car mechanics and electronic maintenance. For a long time, these professions were limited to men only. Moreover, within the structure of the LET council itself, women are included in leadership positions.

LET councils in Palestine also target other marginalised groups with free support and training. These groups include widowed women who are the only breadwinners of their households, as well as people with disabilities. The LET council works with these groups to enhance their skills and knowledge with the aim of integrating them into their communities or workplaces. 

4.2        Facilitating the transition to green economies and sustainable societies

LET councils work towards designing and implementing programmes with the express goal of obtaining more funding from donors. A notable example is green economy projects such as solar energy, smart buildings or composting. To achieve this, LET councils work closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Secondary Vocational Schools, and the agricultural colleges in the local university.

4.3        Good governance is responsive

Each LET council in every city works to serve the needs of the local TVET shareholders, workforce, and university graduates to meet the demand of the local market and enhance the local private sector. Thus, the LET council is responsive to both supply and demand as it seeks to bridge the gap between them while reducing unemployment.

LET councils work continuously to address the challenges that TVET institutes and graduates are facing and make efforts to provide training that equips graduates with the necessary skills and knowledge to meet the rapidly changing demands of the market. It is also responsive to the TVET institutes and stakeholders by working to provide certain support for programmes and projects that are necessary to meet market demand. LET councils were able to achieve this precisely because they work locally and can adapt to supply and demand in each local market. They can identify specific challenges and local needs, then work actively to address them. Each council consists of local stakeholders and members who keep abreast of the local market, thus playing a crucial role in the ability of the LET councils to be responsive to the local needs of their communities (Bardhan 2002). This is why local governance through LET council is vital to develop the local economy, responding to local needs.

In short, LET council members come from local organisations or institutes, and have
extensive knowledge and information about the nature of the local market, business and demand. They can therefore define projects and training programmes that serve local demand according to the needs that vary from one city to another for different reasons. For example, an LET council is also responsive in terms of including marginalised groups in each city, such as women, villagers and people with disabilities. LET councils do not deprive these groups of opportunities to enhance their professional skills and knowledge. Instead, they empower them to be included in their communities and to have financial independence and income by providing them with vocational training and subsequent job opportunities or self-employed projects as entrepreneurs.

Any project should fulfil certain criteria, such as the potential for sustainability. The target group partners must be one partner from the private sector and one from the government sector. Funds are not given to individual organisations without these conditions being met, ensuring that many stakeholders come together and share their resources, possibilities and different perspectives to guarantee project sustainability. This allows everyone to provide their input and work together to achieve the goals (Winther-Schmidt & Shrestha 2020).

In every city, the LET council serves to provide unique training opportunities for its young people. For example, the LET council in Tulkarm city is active in providing regular training for youth and university students. The council has a strong and broad social network with competent international researchers and experts who are invited regularly to present their research and international experience in TVET, sharing updates and success stories about TVET in other countries. For example, how other countries have dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, how it has affected the youth and TVET system and the labour market. This provides new perspectives for youth and raises their awareness of important skills and knowledge that they should acquire and improve for their personal and professional life in response to changing times.

4.4        Good governance is effective and efficient

LET councils are currently striving for high participation, inclusivity and responsiveness. All these aspects are considered crucial for effective governance. They try to implement decisions and follow processes that make the best use of the available resources to ensure the best possible results. LET councils hold regular meetings and follow-up meetings with all members and stakeholders to keep them informed about all council updates and activities.

All the reports and updates go to the Director General of employment in the MoL after providing local perspectives and recommendations of local members. Through the LET council, local TVET institutions can be involved in policymaking (GIZ 2010). To achieve this overall goal, the LET council in each city aims at enhancing local TVET governance and providing a platform for local institutional leaders of all kinds in the local community to have a role and to reflect on what they see as critical issues and opportunities related to TVET development. Local institutional leaders are the key agents of change and influence on TVET policymaking. LET councils work to enhance the role of local institutional leaders to bridge the gap between institutions and policymakers and thus impact policymaking.

4.5        Good governance is participatory

As we see from the LET council structure, it requires active participation as it includes members, individuals, and leaders from all local institutes, providing an opportunity for anyone affected by or interested in a decision to take part in the process of decision-making. Participation can manifest itself as follows:

• The LET Council provides interested parties with any required information
• The Council asks for their perspectives, participation and needs
• They then offer the opportunity to provide recommendations of any member or stakeholders
• They include them as part of the decision-making process

In general, LET councils have been effective in ensuring the voice of each participating member. Everyone is consulted in policymaking and implementation with the idea that everyone belongs and is working for the same goal.

One notable example of LET council participation can be seen in the conditions they impose on proposals on the acceptance for funds. LET councils will refuse any proposal for any project unless the programme proposal has at least three partners to implement it. The partners must be from both the public and private sectors, as well as including other groups such as women or youth. This is an efficient way to include different groups’ participation, perspectives, and inclusion in the TVET system. Most importantly, it allows all to share and benefit from human resources and other resources that all partners have. This can guarantee success and sustainability for the project, as partners share their resources continuously over a longer period of time.

Moreover, LET councils have taken advantage of emerging communication tools, namely social media. Every LET council now has its own Facebook page where they share job and training opportunities and provide updates concerning the supply and demand of the labour market, in addition to the council’s regular meetings with its members and other city council members. These opportunities all stem from stakeholders and members, not only from the governor’s office. The LET councils encourage all members to be active on their respective social media platforms, share posts, and opportunities and interact through encouraging feedback or perspectives to enhance their work.

LET Councils conduct regular meetings with universities, continuing education departments, alumni affairs units and employment units in universities. The meetings aim to discuss the role of continuing education programmes in Palestinian universities in promoting social responsibility, as well as discussing the most significant obstacles facing these centres, and the future of continuing education and its impact on the local and international community concerning TVET and TVET programmes.

5        Conclusion and outlook

LET councils are not a goal in themselves, but rather a means to reach a goal through participation and cooperation between TVET stakeholders. Consequently, the greatest dependency for the success of LET is the level of awareness, specifically of employers and workers together, of the importance of carrying out their duties in compliance with regulations and laws and in communicating and updating accurate data and information with the Ministry of Labour, whether as employers, workers or as job seekers. The correct data plus accurate and responsible information provided by employers, workers and job seekers to the employment offices deployed in all governorates, will be the right reference and act as a sound and valid basis for enabling decision-makers and policymakers to organise, prepare and train human resources, enabling them to enter the labour market in a competitive, efficient and harmonious manner. Thus, good governance in LET council demands higher standards of performance from all stakeholders and members (Rasul et al. 2015).

In LET councils, all members are working under the same banner, for the same goal, and yet efforts are scattered. Governance is a system and a process, not a single activity and therefore the successful implementation of good governance strategy requires a systematic approach that incorporates strategic planning, risk management and performance management to unify efforts in a professional manner and to emphasise quality assurance (European Training Foundation 2014). Accordingly,

1. The LET council should be an independent body with its own administrative, organisational and financial status to strengthen members’ commitment. This also includes defining institutions and stakeholders’ clear responsibilities to improve governance and avoid corruption (Beath et al. 2013).
2. LET councils need to develop their policies and strategies according to the rapid change that is affecting the labour market. This depends on the mutual understanding and constant work of the council members together to be able to work towards and achieve LET council goals.
3. LET councils have extensive databases and increasingly larger target segments and groups, but the economic foundations in the country are weaker and do not support the LET councils‘ mission to the extent that they should. Therefore, LET councils are in urgent need of regulating, systematically collecting, analysing and categorising data. This needs professionals, experts and researchers to work on this, to enable LET councils to understand the local needs of both employers and employees and their perspectives, then work accordingly.
4. Existing committees still need to be developed more professionally and effectively, with independent and specialised committees clearly defined according to their responsibilities as required by LET councils. For example, the council needs a studies and research committee, a project-specified committee to conduct professional research, studies,surveys and feasibility studies. This will enable LET councils to invest in and benefit more from the available human resources and capacities.
5. There are still some stakeholders missing from the main LET council structure. These actors are TVET school students, TVET graduates and teachers. They must increase their participation in the council activities and provide their own input and perspectives to develop the LET council’s role in supporting TVET institutes. In this case, a focused group of TVET graduates and current students can be created and integrated.
6. A Facebook page is insufficient on its own, as it does not guarantee that posts actually reach the target group (especially if they do not have Facebook). Other social media initiatives and platforms could be more effective.
7. Online and digitalisation services should be developed to enable everyone to stay in touch with all members and stakeholders and to access necessary data about labour market updates and other programmes offered by the LET council. These are services become even more important when there are contact restrictions in place, as was the case during the COVID-19 crisis. For example, in Germany, as part of their Strategy 2025, Germany’s Federal Employment Agency wanted people to be able to access their advisory services from home and initiated a “close to customers” mission.
8. It is also crucial to take into consideration that the response is timely, otherwise, it will hinder the good governance of the LET council and will not bring immediate support and solutions to the local communities (Bekele & Ago 2020).

Despite slow progress, LET councils strive to demonstrate efficiency, participation, inclusion and responsiveness. The issue has been identified, but the question now to be considered going forward is how LET councils can develop and enhance the commitment and cooperation of stakeholders practically.

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Traditional and informal WBL have long been known in Palestinian local societies and traditions as part of TVET education’s oldest learning in work practices. Under direct teacher supervision and coordination, secondary vocational school (SVS) students have been sent to conduct their practical training for a certain period before graduation with a local individual private sector. In the past fifteen years, the increasing number of TVET students, schools, and majors has caused challenges for traditional and informal WBL. Accordingly, new WBL practices and cooperation with the private sector have increased. This paper examines the old and the new practices of WBL. It considers the strengths and shortcomings of these practices in SVSs in Palestine and how WBL practices in Palestine sustain and develop students’ professionalism under the rapidly changing social, political and economic situations in the region that affect both education and the market. This article is practice-based, exploring and analysing practices of SVSs teachers and students who conduct WBL. This paper argues that the lack of a regulatory framework presents a difficult challenge to secondary vocational schools. Similarly, there are no official arrangements with the private sector and, most importantly, there is a dearth of efficient WBL practices that link students with the market to provide students not only with professional competencies, but also with social and personal competencies. A real opportunity beckons if TVET schools, namely teachers, students and the school heads take more concerted action to adopt new learning in work practices such as fostering self-reliant learning, which can empower all students to gain long-lasting professional and personal competencies and “is combined with an enormous growth of their self-consciousness resulting in much more independent action” (Hoepfner & Koch 2015, 12).

Keywords: Work-Based Learning, Secondary Vocational Schools, Self-Reliant Learning, Professionalism in TVET, Project-Based Learning

1        Introduction

Job opportunities for graduates who hold academic specialisations in Palestine have become scarcer due to the increasing number of universities and colleges and a significant rise in the number of graduates. Statistical data indicates that around 44,000 students graduate from academic universities annually, then are released into the labour market. The political situation has compounded the problem of finding a job, due to the deteriorating Palestinian economy and the state industry, along with the failure of the private sector to offer more opportunities for graduates.

TVET is considered one of the effective solutions to address the unemployment crisis. The importance of TVET lies in two determinants: 1) the Palestinian labour market’s abundant need for technical and professional majors, and 2) high unemployment rates. SVSs in Palestine are supposed to provide the labour market with skilled and craftsmen (level 2&3 of TVET) (GIZ 2010). Students at this level must gain the professional and personal skills that qualify them to start work immediately after graduation, not merely to pursue their academic studies. However, SVSs students are currently being directed to pursue academic studies. The absence of efficient WBL practices and methodologies creates a gap in the market which, in turn, increases the unemployment rate. Accordingly, this negates the importance of SVS objectives and goals.

With the significant increase in the number of SVSs, majors and students over the last 15 years, the government has started to adopt strategies, practices and arrangements to provide learning in work for SVSs students which will enable them to gain skills and competencies that meet the needs of the market. Educational reform of TVET was initiated in 1996, seeking to improve the quality of TVET educational output. The overall objective of the reform is to create a knowledgeable, competent, motivated, entrepreneurial, adaptable, creative and innovative workforce in Palestine (GIZ 2010). A skilled workforce that is expected to contribute to poverty reduction, and to social and economic development (UNESCO-UNEVOC 2012). One reform strategy was the development of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) policy to secure WBL opportunities for SVSs students which would improve the quality of education output (Samara 2018). However, the high unemployment rate amongst SVSs graduates demonstrates that policy reform is not achieving its intended goals concerning the use of effective WBL. As a result, the skills mismatch in the region (Maclean & Fien 2017) is widening. Poor policy framework and inexperienced administrators of TVET programmes exacerbate the issue: Constraints of Implementing Work-based Learning in TVET (Haruna & Kamin 2019).

This paper examines the three tracks of SVSs in Palestine concerning WBL and its practices; discussing challenges and opportunities for students and how students and teachers are addressing and applying these practices in the light of teachers’ inadequate qualifications concerning WBL practices, students’ qualifications, curriculum design, the private sector and SVS objectives and goals. The paper first considers how traditional and informal WBL practices and arrangements in SVSs were arranged and identifying reasons for successful implementation. The paper then outlines the three tracks, how WBL is arranged and who benefits from it. Next, it provides an overview of the WBL debate in Palestine and examines the potential to transform WBL practices already conducted in schools, pointing out the opportunities for transformation. The paper concludes with a discussion on adopting effective WBL practices in SVSs in Palestine to harmonize education output with market needs. Thus, the paper will examine; To what extent are adopted WBL tracks in SVSs in Palestine being implemented? This will include opportunities and challenges of each track for all actors involved, including students, teachers, the private sector and the government, as represented by the Ministry of Education. Qualitative methods (in-depth and expert interviews) were used to collect and analyze data from TVET experts, key figures in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoE&HE), SVS teachers and students from all majors and all WBL tracks adopted by SVSs in Palestine.

2        Theoretical Background

2.1        Work-Based Learning

Throughout history, learning through practice has been important for developing occupational competence to serve both the community and personal needs. Skills and competencies gained are not only useful for the profession but also can be used for personal development (Billett 2013). “WBL philosophy is based on the concept that students need to be in a real work situation for effective learning outcomes” (Rasul et al. 2014, 23). That is to link theory and practice in a relevant way. “Work based learning refers to learning that occurs through undertaking real work, through the production of real goods and services, whether this work is paid or unpaid” (Sweet 2013, 167). “Work-based learning, however, is the means through which a discipline is delivered, not the discipline to be studied. So work-based learning is not a subject for study – it is a mechanism for learning” (Gray 2001, 4). Work-based learning is a form of “experiential learning” (Sweet 2013, 169). That is to learn from personal experience rather than receiving information.

2.2        WBL opportunities and limitations (challenges)

“WBL as a pathway to delivering competency-based education” (Bahl & Dietzen 2019, 3). That is to say, it improves the value of education for workforce development. WBL could produce graduates who have the skills to meet the needs of the market. WBL not only benefits universities and industry, it also has an impact on the culture of teaching and learning. WBL improves the following: youth transitions; individual career development; raises enterprise productivity and innovation; improves the quality of TVET education; develops problem-solving skills and facilitates distribution of costs and benefits between the firm and the learner (Sweet 2013). It also drives learners or students toward maturity and growth through the development of social experiences in the workplace and can accordingly teach entrepreneurship skills (Lasonen 2005). Thus, WBL could enhance the employability of graduates in the employment sector (Sweet 2013). WBL combines the strengths of the industrial sector and the training institution.

Challenges facing successful WBL include instructor’s qualifications on the one hand, as well as the level of collaboration between educational institutes and employers or other parties concerning rules and responsibilities (Rasul et al. 2014). Other limitations can be identified in outcomes and processes of learning (Billett 2013), including consideration of educational purposes, curriculum provisions, pedagogic practices, and actions in practice settings. When these considerations are taken into account to develop learning experiences, “a comprehensive framework of learning through practice is now warranted” (Billett 2013, 143). These challenges vary from one country to another, depending on the education system, training pathways, traditions and adopted WBL models. To advance WBL models effectively and successfully factors such as governance, quality and partnerships should be taken into consideration (European Commission (EC) 2013).

Work-based Learning (WBL) aims at providing students with real-life work experiences and long-lasting skills and competencies. The ultimate goal of WBL practices in TVET is to engage students in the labour market and support them in their search for employment. WBL helps students to acquire practical experience and personal skills as “competencies cannot be taught through instructions but have to develop as the learner actively engages with a task” (Schröder 2019, 88). WBL helps students to engage in the task and translate the theoretical knowledge they acquire in the classrooms into practical skills and competencies at both professional and personal levels. Further, WBL helps students to be creative, innovative and discover hidden skills and competencies that can only be revealed in the workplace. Teachers must be able to “identify students who are the most capable, inclined to independent creative activity, and the need to create conditions and encourage them to manifest themselves maximally” (Isabekov & Sadyrova 2018, 44). Accordingly, and with the continuous follow-up and support of their teachers, many students can start to work independently. WBL helps students to develop their careers. It can raise enterprise productivity and lead to better youth transitions (Sweet 2013).

3        Traditional and Informal WBL in Palestine

Learning in the workplace has long been known in TVET in Palestine as informal arrangements between the school, the teacher, the student or his parents and individual local businesses. SVSs teachers were aware of the local market and workshops close to their own profession. Coordination occurred informally through good connections between the SVSs and local individual businesses. Secondary Vocational Schools’ graduates used to find internships or so-called practical training in one of the local small private businesses in the village or in the city where students lived. It was easy to cooperate with the private sector and find a training place for every SVS student due to a number of factors; 1) the number of SVS was very small, not exceeding four or five students for each major; 2) SVS taught a limited range of practical majors such as carpentry, radio and TV, car mechanic, and welding; 3) the private sector and local individual small businesses needed SVS graduates, so students finishing their practical training would get hired by the private sector where they obtain their training.

It was very rare for SVS graduates to go to universities or higher education institutes. Students moved from school to the market directly by getting employed or starting their individual businesses and workshops. Students were studying at SVSs to enter a profession after twelfth grade rather than continuing with academic studies. This added weight to the SVS in the local market and the local community by providing skilled craftspeople.

In Palestine, WBL for SVSs practices and methodologies is determined by a range of factors. Different cities have different needs and there is considerable variation from one school to another. Major differences include; 1) the nature of local business – different professions required in industrial cities, agricultural cities and tourist cities; 2) proximity to the Israeli market and consumers; 3) population; 4) the major SVS in each city, for example, agricultural, technical or industrial; 5) donors and their activities, programmes and projects; 6) level and quality of cooperation between local stakeholders and the SVS; 7) the size of the private sector and the capacity of private sector representatives such as the chamber of commerce; 8) teacher qualifications, motivation and creativity and above all; 9) local market demand for SVS graduates. Local labour markets are different from one city to another and this influences WBL practices as followed by the SVS. Cooperation with the workplace has to be calibrated accordingly to open up opportunities and remove barriers for students. An apprenticeship may be successful in one city, but not in another, or it may be appropriate for one major but not for another major. Only three SVSs in Palestine follow the apprenticeship model and not all SVSs work with a certificate of professional competence in WBL. Ultimately, the school must choose which WBL practice has the most potential for students to achieve the best outcome.

4        The Current Three tracks of Secondary Vocational Schools (SVSs): opportunities and shortcomings

There are three tracks in secondary vocational schools in Palestine. Namely; the normal track, the certificate of professional competence track or project-based learning track, and the apprenticeship track.

4.1        The ordinary track

This track is called Tawjihi (the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination). Students study theoretical and practical specialisation subjects and take high school exams conducted by the Ministry of Education. After passing the exams, students are qualified to enter university or the labour market. This track qualifies students for higher academic institutes and universities. Most of the students who graduate from this track join universities and study for a BA degree over a period of four to five years. Students in this track do not follow any WBL practices. Practical experience is limited to the workshop they take at school with their teacher for the specialization subjects.

4.2        Certificate of Professional Competence Track

In 2018, the Palestinian Ministry of Education approved a new amendment to the general secondary school examination system which sought to create a generation of student graduates ready to engage in the labour market through their acquired professional competencies. This would also reduce unemployment rates among graduates. The high school diploma amendment in SVS allows students to choose between the general secondary examination “Tawjihi” (the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination), or to obtain a certificate of professional competence in the specialist field studied in school. Highlighting the professional competency track developed by the ministry presents an additional option to high school students in vocational and technology branches. Enhanced skills enable them to engage in the labour market or join intermediate community colleges.

This is also a Project-Based Learning track that aims to empower self-reliant learning objectives of critical thinking, creativity, planning and decision making (Hoepfner & Koch 2015). Project-based learning not only teaches professional skills for the school, but also social and personal life skills such as accountability and responsibility, communication, negotiation, collaboration and discipline (Bell 2010). This track is for students with intermediate academic achievements who are less academically qualified than first track students but with higher academic achievements than in the third track (apprenticeship). This gives additional opportunities for students wishing to move to the labour market or vocational and technical colleges. Students can divide the Tawjihi (the General Secondary Education Certificate Examination) into two stages. In stage one, grades for academic subjects studied at the school, such as the Arabic language, mathematics, technology, English language, chemistry and physics, are calculated without sitting official Ministry of Education exams. The second stage deals with specialization subjects, which are submitted for MoE exams and supported by a project in students’ specializations. A teachers committee will grade the project presented by the student. As a result, students obtain a Certificate of Professional Competence that qualifies them for the labour market or a technical and vocational intermediated college. Students in this track are not qualified to enter university or further academic study, but if they choose to sit Ministry of Education exams in academic subjects, university enrolment is possible.

4.3        The Apprenticeship Track

This track is for students with lower academic achievements than the first and the second track; namely, the Certificate of Professional Competence Track and the apprenticeship Track. The student enters the labour market and starts his/her training from the eleventh grade, whilst continuing to study in the twelfth grade. There is no Tawjihi certificate. Instead, the student obtains an apprenticeship certificate signed by the MoE and the Ministry of Labour. Students spend two days in school studying theoretical and specialist subjects and three days in the workplace. A specialist teacher follows up with students through all of the steps. There is a formal work contract with private sector partners, which must be officially registered by the government. Apprenticeships in the private sector can therefore only be arranged with authorized participants in the project. Indeed, only four Vocational Secondary Schools in Palestine follow this programme due to the official arrangements pertaining to schools, the MoE and the private sector. The Ministry of Education provides work insurance for students. The school is obliged to find a private-sector position for students and also offer further training. Students in this track are paid by their employers. After graduation, most students continue in the same position, having demonstrated that they have the skills and competence needed in the workplace.

5        Debate on the WBL practices that are adopted in SVSs in Palestine

There is debate among teachers and TVET experts on the importance of the second and third track – the Certificate of Professional Competence Track and the Apprenticeship Track – and how to apply them effectively. Both, to some extent, offer students of intermediate and low academic achievements a chance to enter the labour market. However, teachers and TVET experts support the apprenticeship track and the certificate of professional competence track, combined with project-based learning, for many reasons; 1) teachers are not qualified enough to facilitate and supervise project-based learning; 2) students with intermediate academic achievements are not qualified to conduct project-based learning and lack the skills to take this track; 3) the curriculum is not designed to teach project-based learning for students. The result is that students and teachers remain unaware of the difference between project-based learning and working on a project. Students receive external support for their projects or research projects without gaining any real and practical skills as outlined in “Impact on Individual Learning: Innovative and Relevant Personal Growth” (Sharipova & Wesseler 2018, 33). Teachers emphasize the importance of this track for students of a higher level of academic achievement, noting that teachers need adequate training to be able to facilitate project-based learning. Teachers must be sufficiently experienced, knowledgeable and interested in teaching this subject to develop their skills in WBL research (Rasul et al., 2014). Nevertheless teachers have emphasised that some students can gain some basic research skills which relate to self-reliant learning objectives (Bell 2010).

The Project-Based Learning track should help students to develop self-reliant learning skills. Rapid changes in technology and market demands, render it a necessity to equip SVS students with skills and competencies which will enable students to adapt and adjust to the increasing demands in the context of technological development and globalization (Ministry of Labor 2013). Equipping students with sustainable skills and competencies does not depend solely on the school and the teacher. The student must take ownership of the objective to learn new skills, competencies, critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity. Personal competencies such as certain conduct, behaviour and attitude can also have a positive effect when students are seeking work in the market. These skills “are widely regarded as key qualifications for modern labour markets” (Stehling & Munzert 2018, 24).

SVSs teachers in Palestine lack TVET qualifications (Samara 2021) and need training on how to implement didactical or methodological concepts concerning WBL. In the specific context of this track, they need to become familiar with project-based learning methodology (Indrawan et al. 2020). Theoretical concepts have no value unless students and teachers understand how to apply them practically. If awareness is lacking, teachers and students will face serious challenges when it comes to implementation. Furthermore, the two tracks should not be determined by academic achievements. All SVS students must join a WBL track that enables them to gain professional and personal competencies or skills. They need to be able to compete with students who graduate from academic branches of secondary schools. Using project-based learning is an efficient strategy to empower students as self-reliant learning. It must follow project-based learning steps whilst still being clearly distinct from a project in itself. Every student at the school, regardless of their academic achievements, must work on a project in any case. This gives students a better grasp of the market and demand, helping them to develop their business ideas and skills as entrepreneurs. Students can get to know the opportunities and challenges of business and the market, lending them the tools to build basic and strong foundations if they aim to start their own business.

Some teachers, meanwhile, emphasise the importance of apprenticeships and see them as being more relevant than the Professional Competence Certificate. However, project-based learning need not be less important if teachers are qualified and follow the right steps in applying WBL methodology. Their ability to teach this track is key, because “a competent teacher is a form of quality assurance for students’ learning” (Sulaiman et al. 2019, 1). Project-based learning is seen to be easier than apprenticeships as the latter rely on the private sector and the firm’s environment and are dependent on capacity being available for students (Muehlemann & Wolter 2014), whereas project-based learning track depends entirely on the student and the individual ability to learn and explore the market independently. Teachers play the role of facilitator and should follow up with their students. In the case of project-based learning, the onus is on the student to learn, to be creative, inventive, and analytical in finding business ideas. Independence of mind fosters learning and discovery. SVSs must take this into consideration as they start to take practical steps towards the proper application of project-based learning for all students.

From students’ considerations and insights: students who chose the certificate of professional competence track are aware that they have lower academic achievements that only qualify them to finish this track with certain skills – enough to be able to join a vocational college and study for two further years. Following on from this, they can begin working independently or seek a job corresponding to market demand for their profession, for example in carpentry, welding or mining. Students are satisfied with the level of professional skills they acquire from the school, yet, they still need to acquire personal skills that are not provided for within this track. Students can find paid work and feel independent whilst continuing to study at school.

6        Conclusion and outlook

The lack of effective WBL measures and practices in SVSs in Palestine adversely affects the quality of education, reducing graduates’ chances of finding work or embarking on individual work strategies. TVET is considered as one of the effective solutions to address the unemployment crisis. Using WBL in SVS differentiates it from academic schools and academic graduates. As a result, SVS students are likely to stand a better chance of finding work opportunities, having learned the skills and competencies required in the market. TVET must follow effective WBL practices in order to achieve this goal and provide the market with qualified graduates. This can help to reduce unemployment and boost social and economic development. Otherwise, SVSs will continue to launch unqualified graduates into the market, ultimately increasing unemployment that will, in turn, increase poverty and create gaps in the qualified workforce.

Apprenticeship and project-based learning are two WBL practices in SVSs in Palestine. However, there are many shortcomings for both tracks that hinder their effectiveness for students in achieving the objectives of using these tracks. As the apprenticeship needs and involves more official arrangements between the school and the private sector, project-based learning is an efficient methodology that schools can use to provide students with the necessary skills and competencies to start work or find employment.

The Palestinian private sector has a large and uplifting role in the Palestinian national economy, accounting for approximately 52% of Palestinian workers. Work must be done to harmonize the outputs of SVSs with the needs of the labour market and the private sector. Local TVET employment councils have been established to include many private sector and academic institutions, seeking to play a vital role in improving the labour market situation; promoting employment and self-employment; reducing unemployment and poverty for social and economic development (UNESCO-UNEVOC 2012). This is done by promoting career guidance and counselling activities, and by promoting assistance and guidance in the search for jobs and other related activities. For this purpose, effective WBL practices must be adopted in SVSs.

To adopt and follow effective WBL practices in Palestine, SVSs must develop and design curricula for TVET in line with the objectives of self-reliant learning. Teachers need access to essential training, networks, knowledge and best practices. Teacher qualifications must be developed accordingly (Stehling & Munzert 2018) to include fields such as taxes, economy, business, entrepreneurship, management, financial budgeting. Furthermore, teachers must have a full grasp of the methodology and self-reliant learning steps for their students and be aware of their role as coach and advisor throughout the process (Hoepfner & Koch 2015).

The question is: To what extent can SVSs in Palestine adopt WBL models to develop self-reliant learning? The WBL approach to develop students’ skills and competencies is, at once, an opportunity and a challenge.

References

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This paper explores the Palestinian government’s new plan and mechanism for integrating e-learning in TVET, particularly by equipping TVET teachers with e-learning competencies. It also examines and analyzes TVET teachers’ current practices, attitudes and success stories in implementing e-learning since the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, this study defines (1) the e-learning knowledge, skills and competencies that TVET teachers already have and have been using since schools shut down because of COVID-19, as well as (2) the e-learning knowledge, skills and competencies that TVET teachers must still acquire to deliver quality e-learning programs. Furthermore, based on data obtained through interviews with 60 TVET teachers from 10 secondary vocational schools in Palestine, this paper proposes an E-Competence Framework (E-CF) and outlines eight key skills, competencies and attitudes that TVET teachers in Palestine require to deliver quality e-learning programs. The findings of these interviews indicate that most TVET teachers of technical subjects in Palestine have basic ICT knowledge and skills, while some also have advanced digital and e-learning competencies. Because teachers of technical subjects in TVET schools in Palestine tend to have bachelor’s degrees in engineering, IT or computer maintenance but usually lack a TVET qualification, they need training on how to implement didactical or methodological concepts in e-learning in TVET, and not only training on how to use Microsoft Teams. Consequently, TVET authorities in Palestine must take into consideration the ICT competencies that TVET teachers already have, as well as the competencies that they must acquire to deliver quality e-learning, before designing and providing training. This requires a needs assessment and current situation analysis (Azimi & Rahmani 2013). E-learning in TVET initiatives in Palestine must also to some degree adapt lessons from international experience in e-learning and develop an E-CF tailored to national and local needs and constraints.

Keywords: E-learning, E-Competence Framework (E-CF), Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

1        Introduction

The education sector in Palestine was one of the sectors most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The closure of schools and the absence of thousands of students from their regular classes required a rapid transition to e-learning to maintain the continuity of education. Yet the challenges to implementing e-learning across the education system were numerous, including lack of a digital infrastructure for this unprecedented transformation and teachers’ lack of knowledge, skills and competencies for advancing e-learning.

This situation forced the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoE&HE) to act quickly to put in place measures for gradually implementing e-learning across the education sector. The MoE&HE emphasized the need to: develop teachers’ competencies for employing e-learning; spread the culture of e-learning in schools, homes and communities; orient curricula towards training students in the use of e-learning techniques; develop the country’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure; build the necessary capabilities to employ e-learning in schools and homes; and urge relevant institutions to play their role in supporting e-learning and meeting its requirements.

Research has shown that use of ICT in education has positive benefits for teachers and students, because it creates an active teaching and learning environment (Ghavifekr & Rosdy 2015). However, many factors must be taken into consideration when integrating ICT in education (Cha, Park & Seo 2020). Developing countries in particular face many barriers to implementing e-learning, including technological and infrastructural limitations, lack of adequate ICT equipment and internet access, lack of funding, and in some cases also resistance to change (Babu & Reddy 2015; Ghavifekr & Rosdy 2015; Obwoge & Kwamboka  2016). E-learning in developing countries therefore needs to be carefully designed to account for and overcome these challenges (Raihan & Han 2013).

Use of e-learning to deliver quality education to students also requires teachers to possess training, knowledge, skills and competencies in ICT (Obwoge & Kwamboka  2016). As one study put it: “Competent teachers are key to successful e-learning implementation and they should have the appropriate skills and experience for effective implementation” (Gulbahar & Kalelioglu 2015). However, frameworks for developing teachers’ ICT and e-learning competencies need to be adapted to local needs and teachers’ qualifications levels, and the specific competencies that are required by teachers need to be defined (Fernandez-Sanz, Martínez, & Gómez-Pérez 2016).

In 2010, MoE&HE and the Ministry of Labour (MoL) jointly developed a TVET strategy for Palestine, which aims to develop TVET at all levels to promote organizational efficiency, human resource development and quality standards in teaching and learning. Palestine’s Human Resources Development Strategy, which seeks “to develop, enhance, qualify and investigate the capacity building needs for all TVET manpower” (GIZ 2010), emphasizes the importance of integrating ICT in TVET to enhance TVET quality. Yet, the country’s TVET sector continues to face many challenges, including teachers’ lack of ICT skills and competencies, lack of an appropriate infrastructure, and the political conflict and Israeli occupation, which have consequences for education and educational policies, as well as for the social, cultural, and economic situation in Palestine (Samara 2018; Alijla 2019).

The aim of the research reported in this paper is to explore and analyze the Palestinian government’s new plan and mechanism for integrating e-learning in TVET through equipping TVET teachers with e-learning knowledge, skills and competencies. The research also examines TVET teachers’ practices, attitudes, and success stories in relation to e-learning. The focus of this study is on the e-learning competencies that TVET teachers already possess and use, as well as the competencies that TVET teachers still must acquire to deliver quality education through e-learning.

This paper also proposes an E-Competence Framework (E-CF) for TVET teachers in Palestine. While the E-CF is based on data provided by teachers and instructors who teach Level 2 and 3 (skilled and craftsman) TVET programs to 11th and 12th grade students in secondary vocational schools, it may also be used as a reference for teachers and instructors who teach Level 1 (semiskilled) or Levels 4 and 5 (technician and expert) TVET programs, since certain key competencies apply to all TVET teachers and instructors at all levels (Samara, 2018). The proposed E-CF takes into account the specific needs of secondary vocational school teachers in Palestine based on their qualifications levels and competencies, teaching and learning objectives, curriculum objectives, and students’ IT constraints.

The E-CF has been developed in the understanding that e-learning approaches in Palestine must to some extent reflect international experience regarding e-learning design, approaches, phases, areas and success factors. It therefore draws inspiration from two international frameworks that provide a common reference frame for national, regional and local initiatives: UNESCO’s ICT competency framework for teachers; and the European digital competence framework, which defines six different areas in which educators’ digital competencies may be expressed (UNESCO 2011; Caena & Redecker 2019; Redecker 2017). However, lessons from these frameworks are adapted to the culture, context and attributes of the Palestinian educational system (Khvilon & Patru 2002).

2        Background: MoE&HE’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic

In April 2020, MoE&HE launched its National Response Plan for COVID-19, which emphasized distance learning as a solution for ensuring the continuity of learning and outlined government procedures for implementing the plan. The Ministry also launched a series of online initiatives on social media and local TV channels to provide support to students. These initiatives used synchronous and asynchronous e-learning tools (Hrastinski 2008).

At the same time, some TVET teachers started using online platforms such as Zoom, Facebook, and WhatsApp groups to deliver synchronous e-learning, while other teachers began implementing asynchronous e-learning approaches, such as recording their lessons on YouTube and local television channels (Hrastinski 2008). These teachers’ practices drew on their existing knowledge, skills and competencies in using digital platforms, tools and methods to deliver e-learning. However, as ICT competence levels and qualification levels vary from one teacher to another, these practices were not evenly applied across the TVET system. Furthermore, most students and their families were not sufficiently equipped with internet, electricity, and e-learning awareness.

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, all TVET stakeholders have been working together towards a common goal of embedding e-learning within the TVET system. The main TVET stakeholders and actors in Palestine are: the MoE&HE, the MoL, the Federation of Palestinian Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (FPCCIA), TVET and IT experts, donors, and implementing agencies. These TVET stakeholders have been discussing and debating new plans and mechanisms to expand the use of e-learning by equipping TVET teachers and instructors with e-learning knowledge, skills, competencies, attitudes, and values as the most important step in the transition towards equitable and efficient e-learning in TVET. TVET stakeholders have also emphasized that some TVET teachers already have advanced knowledge, skills competencies and attitudes and have shared success stories of the e-learning approaches that some teachers have been using to deliver TVET since the closure of schools due to COVID-19.

In September 2020, the MoE&HE organized a five-day training course called “Distance Learning Design Course”, which aimed to equip TVET teachers with e-learning capabilities. The training course introduced teachers to the main digital platform, the Microsoft Teams application in the Office 365 package, as a medium for virtually connecting all MoE&HE teachers, staff and students. Individual accounts were set up for each person to be able to access and use it for educational purposes. The MoE&HE’s Technology and Supervision Department was tasked with providing training on Microsoft Teams to TVET supervisors, who in turn were responsible for training Information Technology teachers in secondary vocational schools. Following their training, the IT teachers provided training to the rest of their schools’ teachers of other technical subjects.

3        Research focus and methodology

The main question of this research is:

How well has training for e-learning in the TVET system in Palestine been designed and implemented in practice, especially in relation to building teachers’ e-learning competencies?

The sub-question(s) are:

1. What is your feedback on the “Distance Learning Design Course” that the MoE&HE provided for teachers?
2. As a TVET teacher teaching a technical subject in a secondary vocational school, and from your personal practical experience of using e-learning to deliver training since COVID-19, what are the competencies, skills and attitudes you have drawn upon or feel you must still acquire to deliver quality e-learning education?

Qualitative methods (in-depth and expert interviews) were used to collect and analyze data from 35 IT experts, TVET experts and key informants from the MoE&HE, the MoL, and the Federation of Palestinian Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (FPCCIA) with regard to the first sub-question. 60 TVET teachers from 10 vocational secondary schools in Palestine were interviewed to obtain their views on the second sub-question. The interviewed teachers teach Level 2 and 3 (skilled and craftsman) TVET programs to 11^th and 12^th grade students. Both sets of interviews took place between March and September 2020. The E-CF was developed based on a content analysis of the interview results.

4        Research results

Responses given at an early stage of the interviews highlighted the need for an e-learning framework and concrete plan to build TVET teachers’ e-learning competencies. All 35 IT experts, TVET experts and key informants interviewed for this research emphasized the importance of developing TVET teachers’ competencies and establishing an E-CF.

A Deputy Minister in the MoE&HE declared:

“There is an urgent necessity to develop teachers’ competencies to use e-learning because events in the near future will force everyone to employ it.

According to an IT expert who was interviewed:

“The first aspect that leads to the success of e-learning in the TVET sector is to set competencies and develop an E-CF for TVET teachers.”

An educational technology researcher and Director General of Vocational Training at the MoL said:

“Training outcomes depend on the teacher and the competencies that a teacher has. We must establish a set of competencies for teachers to improve the quality of e-learning in TVET. “

The IT and TVET experts and key informants also emphasized the importance of considering and adapting to some degree international experiences in using e-learning in TVET, in particular the factors that have led to the success of e-learning initiatives. However, some IT and TVET experts noted the importance of tailoring lessons from international experience in e-learning to the needs of TVET teachers in Palestine, taking into account TVET teachers’ qualifications and competencies, as well as the infrastructural, technical and financial constraints of the TVET system in Palestine.

Giving their feedback on the “Distance Learning Design Course” provided by the MoE&HE, all of the teachers interviewed mentioned that the training had many pitfalls: 1) the course was very theoretical, and teachers were not given a chance to implement tasks or to design learning modules; 2) the training was provided without carrying out an ICT competence needs assessment, which meant that the MoE&HE failed to take into consideration individual differences between teachers in terms of their e-learning and digital skills and competencies; and 3) the course focused primarily on how to use Microsoft Teams and not enough on the implementation of didactical or methodological concepts in e-learning in TVET. Yet, as previous studies have noted, to develop teachers’ e-learning competencies, teachers require more than simply knowing how to use devices and applications (Falloon 2020). As one study concluded: “Knowing how to use the tools is only the foundation” (Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich 2010).

Many of the teachers interviewed (10 IT, 12 computer maintenance and 30 engineering teachers) stated that the course did not meet their needs. As one respondent put it:

“We did not require the training course that was provided for us by the MoE. As IT and computer maintenance teachers, we were not asked about our training needs. We already have a certain level of skills and competencies in using Microsoft Teams and have basic ICT skills. We expected and need advanced training, knowledge, theories and approaches in using e-learning for TVET.”

It is worth noting that TVET teachers in Palestine tend to have bachelor’s degrees in academic subjects – mainly engineering – but usually lack a TVET qualification. Furthermore, all of the teachers interviewed for this study taught technical subjects and were engineering, IT and computer science or computer maintenance graduates. Accordingly, they all had basic ICT skills and knowledge and required advanced training in advanced ICT competencies, not just training on how to use Microsoft Teams.

The interview results indicate that a thorough needs assessment and current situation analysis is required before any kind of training is provided, to identify gaps in teachers’ digital and e-learning competencies as well as their training needs (Azimi & Rahmani 2013). Such a needs assessment helps to “address the knowledge gap related to the digital technology in education by pointing out both the problematic areas and the promising approaches to be adapted in the efforts to harness advantages of digital technology in education processes” (Kalolo 2019).

The needs assessment should focus on identifying:

1. The e-learning competencies that TVET teachers already have (Caena & Redecker 2019);
2. The level of the ICT/digital competencies that TVET teachers already have (Caena & Redecker 2019);
3. The e-learning and digital competencies that teachers must acquire to improve the quality of training that they deliver; and then
4. The specific areas in which training is required.

Accordingly, a debate is needed among all TVET stakeholders in Palestine to determine the current situation of TVET teachers: their qualifications, capacities and competency levels and training needs, taking into consideration lessons learned from international experience. These assessments and analyses should form the basis for designing e-learning initiatives and establishing an E-CF for TVET teachers.

International experience in designing e-learning programs suggests that training programs for TVET teachers in Palestine must start at the next step after digital literacy, which is knowledge deepening (UNESCO 2011). Such an approach can transform teachers from having basic knowledge of e-learning approaches to being able to apply that knowledge to use digital technology to solve complex problems, to move from basic ICT tools to more complex tools, and to transform their standard classroom into collaborative groups which they manage and guide online. Furthermore, “[t]eaching with technology requires teachers to expand their knowledge of pedagogical practices across multiple aspects of the planning, implementation, and evaluation processes” (Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich 2010).

However, such a transformation will require designing training programs that build teachers’ capacities along the following dimensions: (a) e-learning content knowledge; (b) pedagogical knowledge of online instructional practices, strategies, methods, or approaches; and (c) novel or altered instructional resources, technology, or materials. It also requires changing teachers’ beliefs, attitudes and pedagogical ideologies in relation to e-learning approaches.

5        Proposed E-Competence Framework (E-CF)

The E-CF presented in this section is based on the feedback received during the interviews with secondary vocational school teachers. The usefulness of developing an ICT/digital competency framework has already been recognized in academic studies: “A competency framework helps to recognize individual contributions, skills, and knowledge” (Eichhorn 2018). The E-CF presented in this paper was developed to reflect the knowledge, skills and competency needs of Palestinian TVET teachers in line with their qualifications, needs, culture, and students’ learning requirements. The competencies included in the E-CF have emerged from responses received to the research sub-question: “As a TVET teacher teaching a technical subject in a secondary vocational school, and from your personal practical experience of using e-learning to deliver training since COVID-19, what are the competencies, skills and attitudes you have drawn upon or feel you must acquire to deliver quality e-learning education?”

The interview results indicate that the skills, competencies and attitudes that TVET teachers in Palestine require for delivering quality e-learning include:

1. A positive attitude towards e-learning. Teachers should believe in the positive impacts that e-learning can have on our personal and professional life, as well as the opportunities and strengths offered by e-learning (Philomina & Amutha 2016). They should also have a positive attitude towards change and a willingness to use new tools and technologies to adapt to new situations. A positive attitude towards e-learning can also build teachers’ confidence, readiness, positive expectations, and ability to think and be creative.

As one participant stated during an interview with 8 IT and 13 computer maintenance teachers:

“As an IT and computer maintenance teacher, we think students will be enthusiastic to engage in e-learning through online lessons during COVID-19 and the shutdown of schools, because I expect it to be more interesting than traditional education.”

The above quote highlights the importance of teachers having a positive attitude towards e-learning, which is necessary for teachers to proceed to the next step and inspire students to accept change. A positive attitude also helps teachers to accept change, create change and take responsibility when dealing with uncertainty. Taking a challenge and taking responsibility increases one’s ability to embrace e-learning. The greater the belief among teachers of the benefits of e-learning, the greater the chances that they will use it.

The link between a positive e-learning attitude and the adoption of e-learning practices is illustrated by one teacher’s statement during an interview with 5 teachers specializing in computer maintenance:

“When the schools shut down in March, we didn’t stop teaching; we immediately started our YouTube channel and started uploading a lecture daily after recording it. we were able to finish all the theoretical curriculum and part of the practical skills curriculum. From this experience, I have learned new e-learning competencies and skills.”

The IT and computer maintenance teachers interviewed showed a readiness to engage in e-learning, which was aided by their ICT and digital knowledge, skills and competencies. They also showed confidence by taking up the challenge, a readiness to accept change, and a willingness to search for opportunities and learn new skills to adapt their teaching practices to an online environment.

2. Creativity in using digital tools. Teachers need to be made aware of the many tools and applications for e-learning available via mobile phones and laptops, which can be used to perform educational tasks and deliver theoretical and practical skills training. Creativity is also necessary for finding new ways of teaching subjects, such as games, videos, and interactive tools. Digital tools and innovative teaching approaches can make lessons more interesting and create an enthusiasm for e-learning. Creativity is also needed for teachers to make the best use of whatever tools are available to students. This is an important skill, since most students in Palestine lack access to laptops and reliable home internet.

A hospitality teacher interviewed shared a creative practice: 

“I taught a lesson on how to prepare breakfast at home. I asked students to record a video on their mobiles and send it to me. I asked them to use the available tools and real breakfast environment in their home to become acquainted with how they can apply their knowledge and skills in a real-life situation.”

Other creative approaches shared during the interviews included: (1) using schools’ main web pages to post student videos and creative ideas, with a competition for the best video; and (2) creating a learning channel for students on YouTube, where they can share their work online. Both of these ideas are creative ways to inspire students, encourage them to create and share their content and ideas, and promote online student interactions.

A teacher of computer maintenance highlighted the benefits of e-learning thus:

“I recorded lessons and created my channel. For now, I have more than 100 lessons on it as a reference for students at any time and any place. This has created more interaction with my students and has made all the content of the curriculum available online all the time.”

The above quotation demonstrates that teachers’ positive attitudes and practices are the most important elements that determine the success of e-learning initiatives. Inspired by this teacher, many other secondary vocational school teachers began to create their own YouTube channels and to upload their online lessons to make them available to students on a flexible basis. Furthermore, students from other schools, where e-learning activities may not have been taking place, were also able to benefit from the availability of these online lessons.

3. Communication skills. Strong communication skills are necessary for teachers to be able to assess students’ competency levels, manage student behavior, keep students engaged, and encourage and motivate students during online lessons. Teachers also need good communication skills to interact with students and discover students’ skills, talents and creative ideas.

4. Preparation skills. Teachers need to know how to prepare students before online lessons. For example, sending learning materials or assigning small tasks for students to do before lessons creates a conducive environment for online interaction and gives enough time for students to ‘warm up’ to course topics, which in turn can increase their participation during lessons. It also reminds students to be on time for lessons. Good online teaching preparation involves not only sharing documents, but also providing feedback, answering questions and devising methods for controlling student behavior during lessons.  

5. Facilitation skills. The ability to manage classes and student learning online is a vital skill that goes beyond just understanding how to use digital tools to, for example, divide students into groups. Understanding how to manage class interactions and foster skills, such as teamwork and collaboration, during online lessons are skills for which many teachers will require special training and support.

6. Leadership skills. The ability to “empower learners” by making them feel included and providing them with a sense of ownership of the learning process is another important skill (Redecker 2017). Training in leadership skills should improve teachers’ ability to motivate students and their families through, for example, acquiring and demonstrating an understanding of students’ needs, levels and constraints. All of the teachers interviewed emphasized their need for training in advanced leadership skills to motivate students and their parents to accept e-learning as a vital part of their education. As one respondent commented:

“The idea of resisting change is one of the challenges that we have been facing with students and their parents since we started using e-learning. We need advanced leadership skill to use to motivate students”

7. Time management skills. Teachers need to manage lessons and convey learning content in a limited time period. In lessons lasting 45 minutes, teachers are expected to demonstrate both the methodology and learning tools, which requires planning. Time management skills are also necessary for teachers to prepare for online sessions before they start, to make sure students arrive on time and lessons begin on time.

8. Assessment. Teachers must use online tools and methodologies for assessing, grading and providing feedback to students, within the constraints of the ICT tools and instruments that are available. Learning how to do this effectively online requires training and practice. An engineering teacher interviewed for this study suggested one approach for evaluating student learning:

“We give students a task of a module within their curriculum and ask them to find mistakes. This helps us to know if students understand the education module or not and also this helps us to grade students and provide feedback.”

Creative approaches are required to overcome obstacles to online assessment, such as the problem mentioned by all of the teachers interviewed regarding parents unhelpfully answering questions or performing tasks for their children, with negative consequences for student learning. One solution to this issue was provided by a teacher during an interview with five engineering teachers:

“I ask students to perform a task while recording a short video using their voice, to make sure that the students themselves are performing the task and the homework.”

In both cases, teachers used a simple task, technique and tool to check that students were doing their work themselves and were learning the material being taught.

Online tools and methodologies can be time-saving measures for teachers, once new skills are acquired and their investment in e-learning begins to pay off. As one teacher remarked during an interview with 13 teachers of different technical subjects:

“Grading and assessment takes a long time for us as teachers. We need to learn a new methodology for grading and assessment that helps us to save time and give more time to the lesson.”

All of the teachers interviewed emphasized that they need training in advanced tools and creative methodologies for conducting assessments and grading homework, which keeps students engaged and saves time for teachers to do other tasks with students.  

The eight competencies listed above, which are the key competencies that TVET teachers in Palestine require to deliver quality e-learning programs, complement each other and cannot be divided. Furthermore, TVET teachers need these skills at all stages of the teaching and learning process, from the initial planning stage to the implementation and evaluation stage. The findings of the interviews indicate that teachers of technical subjects in secondary vocational schools in Palestine have some mastery of these eight competencies, but that the level of mastery varies from one teacher to another. Most TVET teachers in Palestine have these competencies at a basic level and require training and support to acquire an advanced level. This training needs to be tailored to teachers according to their level and also needs to be adapted to each stage of a teacher’s role. For example, the training needed for planning online lessons is different from that needed for implementing and evaluating e-learning.

The proposed E-CF competencies that are mentioned in this paper come under the six professional activities for educators outlined in the European Digital Competence Framework for Educators – that is, professional engagement, digital resources, teaching and learning, assessment, empowering learners, and facilitating learners’ digital competencies (Redecker 2017). However, teachers of secondary vocational schools in Palestine require training in these competencies at a level that meets their requirements for addressing the objectives of the subject they teach according to their curriculum objectives. 

6        Conclusion and outlook

Introducing e-learning in TVET in Palestine as a new tool for teaching requires fundamental changes in the learning elements, namely: the environment, the trainers, the trainees, and the content. E-learning in TVET in Palestine became a necessity after the closure of schools because of COVID-19. The government, the MoE, the MoL, TVET experts, and other stakeholders have been working together to design and implement e-learning in education. However, e-learning in Palestine is facing many challenges, including an unmet need for advanced ICT competencies and skills, which TVET teachers require to prepare, plan, arrange and deliver curriculum and to conduct assessments using online tools and methodologies.

To empower TVET teachers and equip them with e-learning competencies, the MoE&HE provided a one-week training program for TVET teachers on how to use Microsoft Teams as the main educational platform. However, 60 secondary vocational school teachers that were interviewed asserted that the training failed to satisfy their needs, because all teachers of technical subjects in secondary vocational schools in Palestine are engineers, computer maintenance and IT graduates. So they have the basic skills and awareness about ICT, but require training on the advanced phase that comes after the technology literacy phase, which is knowledge deepening (UNESCO 2011). Teachers also require training that focuses on the implementation of didactical or methodological concepts in e-learning.

From this research, an E-CF was developed based on the skills, competencies and attitudes that TVET teachers have or must acquire for efficient e-learning and quality education output. The E-CF also took into consideration interviewees’ individual teaching practices during lockdown. Furthermore, there is a necessity to adapt international experience in the design of and success factors in using e-learning in TVET, which must take into account TVET capacity limitations, local needs, teachers’ qualifications and the level of ICT integration in education in Palestine.

The proposed framework is based on a limited set of data but could form the basis of a new and more comprehensive E-CF for the TVET system in Palestine. The framework should inspire debate amongst all TVET stakeholders about how to conduct a needs assessment for teachers. Debate is also needed to create an E-CF that includes all of the skills that TVET teachers require to provide e-learning and related training.  

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This paper explores curricula approaches and competence development for secondary vocational education  schools in Palestine. For successful implementation of new curricula approaches that use Competency-Based Approach (CBA), this paper argues that the government must first define the goal of the secondary vocational education to determine whether it is education based or employment oriented and then decide the curricula approach of how to develop the necessary competence. If the goal and the objectives of secondary vocational education is educational, adopting and implementing the new curriculum that applies CBA will not be without issues such as teachers’ ignorance of whether the new curriculum is for development of semiskilled employees or craftsmen. Applying CBA may result in neglecting the traditional curriculum that provides students with academic and the social science. A holistic approach that balances between the traditional  curriculum and the CBA is required for secondary vocational education to distinguish it from vocational training learning objectives. Qualitative methods of  in-depth and expert interviews were used to collect and analyse data. Tulkarm Secondary Vocational School was the case study for this research paper.

Keywords: curriculum development, competency, competency-based approach, the holistic approach, technical and vocational education and training.

1. Introduction

Curricula approaches and competence development for secondary vocational education  schools in Palestine was one of the main goals of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system reform in Palestine. In 1998, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoE&HE) started creating the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training ( TVET) Strategy for the reform. The overall objective of the National TVET Strategy is to create a knowledgeable, competent, motivated, entrepreneurial, adaptable, creative and innovative workforce in Palestine to contribute to poverty reduction as well as social and economic development (UNESCO 2012). A part of this reform was the curriculum and the learning methodologies development for secondary vocational education schools emphasising integrating social and individual development and Life Long Learning including critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, entrepreneurship, social and life skills (PNA, MoE&HE, & MoL 2010). The government developed new curriculum based on Competency-Based Approach (CBA) as a learning methodology for the secondary vocational education schools that includes the 11th and 12th grades. For two years, secondary vocational schools for some majors adopted and started teaching the new curriculum with the new learning methodologies. The new curriculum aimed at preparing learners more effectively for real workplaces, which means that the acquisition of competencies takes into account the requirements of companies and industry that are affected by the modern technology (Deißinger & Hellwig 2011).

Adopting curricula and competence development approaches for secondary vocational education schools depends on the objectives of the secondary vocational education and the learning outcomes. As a result, attitudes by some teachers created tension in defining whether the new curriculum of implementing CBA is for obtaining semiskilled employment (vocational training graduates) as opposed to skilled and craftsman employment (vocational education graduates) as every kind requires different curriculum, modules, learning objectives, timelines, skills, competency, employment in the market and different target group. The difference resulted in neglecting the traditional curriculum. When students graduate, they will lack education in areas such as languages, leadership skills and social skills. This will affect students’ opportunity to enter a university to pursue higher academic qualifications. This contravenes the objectives of the vocational education, which is educational and providing the market with skilled labour work (PNA, MoE&HE, & MoL 2010) , to include certain educational and social competencies. It negates the 5 dimensions of teaching and learning the competency (LeDeist & Winterton 2005). Accordingly, some teachers suggested a holistic approach, which makes a balance between the traditional curriculum and the new curriculum. It adopts CBA as a learning approach to enable the students to gain the theoretical, practical, personal and social competency to meet the needs of the market (McGrath 2007), to include addressing social contextual issues and not just learning outcomes for vocational education and training. That is, it serves the learner or community needs and goals. Palestinian teachers insist that the secondary vocational education graduates should have both practical skills competency and social skills to be able to meet the needs of the market of social, personal and academic skills and continue their higher education at the university as well.

There is an increasing need of the holistic approach to consider the students whole-of-person to train rather than discrete packages and modules (McGrath 2007). The holistic approach to Vocational Education Training (VET) within the region ensures a focus on meeting social and economic objectives and promotes effective collaboration to achieve these goals (Allison, Gorringe & Lacey 2006). It’s also clarified that the competence is a package of knowledge, attitude, skills and relevant experience, which is required to be successful in a particular job (Guerrero & Ríos 2012). The holistic approach was introduced into the definition of competence in the caring professions, integrating knowledge, understanding, values and skills that ‘reside within the person who is the practitioner’ (LeDeist & Winterton 2005).

This paper argues that the government has to be clear about the secondary vocational education’s objectives for a successful implementation of the new curriculum approach and competence development, to be able to achieve the new curriculum goals and outcomes and as a result to be able to achive the secondary vocational education objectives that are different from the vocational training objectives, which is providing the market with skilled labour market and also achieving certain academic qualifications that enable students to continue their higher education in the universities. The objectives of the secondary vocational education  can be achieved by adopting the holistic approach in the teaching and learning process. When the objectives are clear for the government and for all the stakeholders, then other factors such as timeline, teachers’ qualifications, number of modules and type of competency should be taken into consideration to avoid any challenge and failure while implementing the new curriculum.

2. Conceptual framework

2.1 Training Approach

A holistic approach is a whole-of-person approach to training rather than discrete packages and modules (McGrath 2007). The need to provide a holistic approach to the student in training requires addressing social contextual issues and not just learning outcomes. A focus on the holistic outcomes from VET whereby important outcomes referred to included more qualitative constructs such as self-esteem, confidence and a sense of achievement. In an ‘holistic approach’, vocational education may therefore be seen as a vehicle for the achievement of a broad range of goals, while government goals of vocational education may be primarily economic, driven by industry (through Training Packages), and skills focused. It is characterised by the concern for the growth and full development of the whole person where what is learned reflects the values and goals of the learner (McGrath 2007). (LeDeist & Winterton 2005) introduce the holistic approach to competence in the caring professions, integrating knowledge, understanding, values and skills that ‘reside within the person who is the practitioner’. A holistic framework is useful in identifying the combination of competencies that are necessary for particular occupations and to promote labour mobility (LeDeist & Winterton 2005).

2.2 Competency Based Approach

Competency Based Approach (CBA) or Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET) is an approach of Vocational Education Training (VET), in which skills, knowledge and attitudes are specified in order to define, steer and help to achieve competence standards, mostly within a kind of national qualifications framework (Hellwig & Deißinger 2011). Objectives of CBET include preparing learners more effectively for real workplaces, which means that the acquisition of competencies takes into account the requirements of companies and industry. Furthermore, CBET should enable employees not only to increase their knowledge and skills at the workplace but also to gain nationally recognised certificates for workplace-based learning (Hellwig & Deißinger 2011).

CBE is an educational structure that is characterized as competency or outcome-based can be identified by various manifestations of functioning end points: educational objectives, outcomes statements, competency frameworks, task analyses, employability skills list, performance and grading checklists (Curry & Dochetry 2017), It aims to improve performance at the workplace.

Competency Based Approach (CBA) is an approach which started in the 1990s and has been introduced and applied in almost all countries of the world. It is applied to almost all levels of educational systems and extends into all sectors of a national economy. It’s the capability of a person to choose and use (apply) an integrated combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes to realize a task or work function in a certain context (GIZ 2013).

The competence comprises five dimensions:1) Cognitive competence, including underpinning theory and concepts, as well as informal tacit knowledge gained experientially; 2) Functional competencies (skills or know-how), defined as what ‘a person who works in a given occupational area should be able to do and able to demonstrate’; 3) Personal competency (behavioural competencies, ‘know how to behave’), defined as a ‘relatively enduring characteristic of a person causally related to effective or superior performance in a job’; 4) Ethical competencies, defined as ‘the possession of appropriate personal and professional values and the ability to make sound judgements based upon these in work-related situations’; 5) Meta-competencies, to include the ability to cope with uncertainty, as well as with learning and reflection (LeDeist & Winterton 2005).

Accordingly, teachers should know that competence has different dimensions, including theoretical, practical and social dimensions, and that all the dimensions should be learnt as they all are important. Learning one dimension or two for the competence doesn’t result in efficiency at the workplace, and this makes the difference for the holistic approach. If the secondary vocational education schools apply CBA in the new curriculum and consider CBA as a holistic approach for the students, then secondary vocational schools objectives and outcomes will be met; namely, educational objectives and qualified skilled labour force that meet the needs of the market. Further, this will meet the objectives of curriculum approaches and competence development as set by the Palestinian government, which is curriculum development methods, approaches of modern teaching and learning emphasizing integrating social and individual development to meet the needs and the demands of labour market and the levels of up-to-date technologies (PNA, MoE&HE & MoL 2010).

Before developing and using the curriculum that implements CBA, the government and all stakeholders have to be clear about the goal, learning objectives, mission, and purpose of the curriculum that uses CBA (Rivenbark & Jacobson 2014). This includes addressing questions such as whether the purpose is education or employment, and then designing the curriculum accordingly  (Harris & Deissinger 2003; Gessler 2014) as well as being clear on how to reach these goals. As discussed and introduced by (Brockmann, Clarke, Méhaut, & Winch 2008), the government and all the stakeholders should define the meaning of “competence”  (Mulder, Weigel & Collins 2006) as a key distinction between a knowledge-based model and a skills-based model. Defining “competence” will enable the new curriculum to support its objectives.

3.TVET Reform and Curriculum Development

Since 1948, the education system in Palestine had been controlled by the Israeli occupation policies. This was due to the war, conflict, uprisings and the Israeli occupation polices of depriving Palestine and the Palestinian people of the ability to establish international relations or cooperation to support the education sector. This has affected the educational system in terms of curriculum,  facilities, goals and outcomes. The banning of textbooks, educational material and extracurricular activities, in addition to low salaries and social cultural development (prohibited by the Israeli Authorities), have affected social, economic and human resources development (AbuDuhou 1996). This educational deprivation resulted in the failure to meet the requirements, needs and aspirations of the Palestinian society such as contribution to the development of society; seeking of knowledge and creativity; and positive interaction with the requirements of scientific, technological and applied field developments (UNESCO 2012).

The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was formed in 1994. In 1996, Palestine achieved autonomy. As a result, the PNA took control of the education system represented in the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoE&HE). In 1995-1996, under the National Strategy, the MoE&HE started reforms. One was the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system reform. The TVET reform included building new schools, restoration of old schools, appointing new human resources of teachers, experts and new curriculum, and recognizing new modern and advanced educational techniques, material resources , and regulations. The aim was to improve the quality of the vocational education outputs (competent graduates) to meet the needs of the Palestinian market and the private sector by connecting the educational needs with social and economic needs.

In 1998, the MoE&HE started creating the National Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Strategy for TVET system reform. As part of this reform, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoE&HE) was engaged in TVET system reform including curriculum development and learning methodologies^. The government developed a new curriculum based on Competency-Based Approach (CBA) as a learning methodology for the secondary vocational education schools that includes the 11^th and 12^th grades. For two years, secondary vocational schools for some majors adopted and started teaching the new curriculum with the new learning methodologies. The new curriculum aimed at preparing learners more effectively for real workplaces, which means that the acquisition of competencies takes into account the requirements of companies and industry that are affected by globalization and the modern technology. The stakeholders of the national TVET strategy incorporated new learning methodologies based on the “Competency-Based Learning (CBL) and Modules” system. This system is intended to enable the students to obtain the practical professional skills that meet the private sector demand. This approach aims to teach the students concrete skills rather than abstract learning.

3.1 Objectives  of Learning and Implementing CBA

There are 5 levels of TVET system in Palestine: level 1 (semiskilled), which is the graduates of the vocational training institutes; level 2 and 3 (skilled and craftsman), which are the graduates of secondary vocational schools of 11^th and 12^th grade; and level 4 and 5 (technician and expert) which are graduates of the vocational colleges and the technical universities. Every level has different learning and teaching objectives as clarified in the figure below. The difference in the learning objectives requires different curriculum approaches and competence development. The focus of this paper is on secondary vocational education which is level 2&3 (graduates of secondary vocational schools of 11th & 12th grades). The below explanations and analysis will be about all majors that are being taught at the secondary vocational schools, it will focus and give examples from the electricity major.

Based on the new curriculum, attitudes by some teachers created tension in defining whether the new curriculum of implementing CBA is for obtaining semiskilled employment level 2&3 (training education graduates) as opposed to skilled and craftsman employment level 1 (vocational education graduates), as every kind requires different curriculum, modules, learning objectives, skills, competency, qualifications, employment in the market and different target group as well. The difference resulted in neglecting the traditional curriculum so that when students graduate they will lack education in areas such as languages, leadership skills and social skills. As a result, this will affect the student’s qualifications to enter the university to continue higher academics contravening the objectives of the vocational education, which is educational and providing the market with a skilled labour market with higher academic and practical skills who are the graduates of level 1 – semiskilled graduates.

The curriculum of some majors was adopted for one year and then was changed again. Teachers in the schools in the electricity major, for example, disagreed about the new curriculum. Some of the teachers considered it positive in that it provided the students with competencies needed in the market. Others considered it negative in that it turned the vocational education schools into vocational training centres (and thereby, in their opinion, negating the value of the secondary vocational education and its objectives because it concentrated on practical lessons more than the theoretical ones). Some teachers believed that there is no difference between the objectives of the vocational education and the objectives of the vocational training.

Teachers considered that CBA is important to reduce unemployment for graduates of vocational secondary schools by giving them the opportunity to gain specific competence through the modules designed in the curriculum. They also believed that CBA also helps students to master competence because it teaches particular part of the general subject. For example, there are many vocational school graduates of the major electricity. There are graduates who can’t find work in the market, while at the same time, there is no single student whose major is only, for example, about extension of electric wires. Only using CBA can provide the market with its need of this specificity of the electricity major, and, from their point of view, this will provide students with more work opportunities at the market. Teachers say that companies demand students with specific competence rather than students of a general major with no competence. This is also applicable for most of the majors that are taught in the vocational secondary school.

However, there is also a challenge in changing the curriculum. Namely, teachers may not be qualified and equipped with the up-to-date skills and knowledge needed to teach the curriculum.

According to an interview with teacher specialized in electrical subject:

“The problem is from the MoE&HE administration. The public administration of the TVET in the MoE&HE doesn’t give priority and doesn’t make enough efforts for offering training for the teachers on the updating and new curriculum. The teacher should be updated and provided with advanced training to be able to teach the new curriculum.”

Teachers were not satisfied with the curriculum change. They find it difficult to teach when they lack the necessary skills and knowledge required to teach the new curriculum. The change in the teacher‘s role requires them to not only deliver lectures but also to engage as a facilitator. In Palestine, the role of the teacher is to give the lesson and then to leave the class. With CBA curriculum, the role of the teacher, inside the classroom or on the work sites, takes on the identity of facilitator. Thus, navigating the potential tensions between traditional roles and CBA roles may contradict the culture in Palestine (Beimans 2004). The success of a learning situation depends on a large extent on the skillful intervention of a professional person, the teacher who will deliver teaching the learning methodologies(Stabback 2016).

There are pitfalls in using the CBA. These include feelings of insecurity – to include feelings of “powerlessness,” “frustration,” and “dissatisfaction” – by teachers. Given this reality, teachers must be trained in underlying principles, which includes understanding procedures necessary for an effective implementation (Watson 1991; Biemans, Nieuwenhuis, Poell, Mulder, & Wesselink 2005) question if one system, whether competence-based or not, can realistically serve all stakeholders in the practice.

The broader education policy that is followed by the MoE&HE does not match the needs of the secondary vocational school students. In particular, practical classes, originally 24 classes a week, were reduced to 16 classes -one class is 40 minutes long-. The difference was increased with academic classes. Yet the aim of the vocational education (for level 2 and 3) is to provide the market with skilful and professional workers. Instead, this policy appears designed to give vocational education students the opportunity to compete to enter university, rather than into the labour market at level 2 and 3.

As one teacher stated:

“This curriculum has affected the efficiency and the practical skills of the students. The practical classes are now less than the academic classes and this doesn’t match the objectives of the secondary vocational education, which is to qualify students for the labour market, not for the academic studies in the universities.”

The new learning methodologies within the new curriculum were received with many challenges to be applied because 1) teachers themselves were not qualified to teach the new curriculum with the new learning methodologies that included advanced skills and knowledge; 2) the lack of the infrastructure in the school; and 3) the lack of cooperation and formal public private partnership agreements. Before implementing CBA, it is important to realize the scope of the project and the resources needed (Dilmore, Moore, & Bjor, 2011). In Palestine, the lack of resources, incentives and qualifications for teachers and other actors, and lack of condusive environments are challenges that must be addressed in implementing CBA.

Obtaining and comparing exams of the high school “Tawjihi”– The General Secondary Education Certificate Examination in Palestine. It is the last stage of school education before going to a university or to a college- with the skills in the curriculum based on CBA will present novel challenges. One of the module’s elements in the last stage is the post-assessment (Laveria 1977). This component indicates whether the student has successfully met the objective. Once the student meets the objective, the student is ready to pursue the next one. Conversely, a student not successfully meeting the objective must have additional instruction. The post assessment maybe identical or similar to the pre-assessment. In Palestine its very difficult to ask students to undergo examination and perform the post assessment phase since “Tawjihi” exam is unified all over Palestine. There is no specified way to ask vocational school students to undergo examination. In this case, students who used CBA are requested only to take the exam in the academic part of the curriculum.

Curriculum developers need to answer many fundamental questions, about which knowledge, skills, competencies and values should we include in our curriculum. Achieving qualitative learning and educational outputs depend on the learning methodologies that are used in the curriculum and then the ability of the curriculum to meet the needs of the market. Key indicators of curriculum success include the quality of the learning achieved by students, and how effectively students use that learning for their personal, social, physical, cognitive, moral, psychological and emotional development. The quality of the curriculum depends on the learning and teaching approaches that are used and decide the quality of the educational output (Stabback 2016).

4. Conclusion and Outlook

As part of TVET system reform, a new curriculum for secondary vocational education schools was developed to use the new learning and teaching methodology to develop student competencies. That is, CBA. Adopting CBA curriculum in Palestine aimed to provide students with competencies that work effectively for real workplaces and meet the needs of the market that are changing and increasing because of technology. However, after two years, teachers rejected the new curriculum that adopts CBA as a learning methodology for secondary vocational education schools in Palestine. Attitudes by some teachers created tension in defining whether the new curriculum of implementing CBA is for obtaining semiskilled employment (vocational training graduates) as opposed to skilled and craftsman employment (vocational education graduates). Each requires different curriculum, modules, learning objectives, timelines, skills, competency, employment in the market, facilities and resources at the school and the relationship with the private sector as well.

To implement the new curriculum based on CBA 1) the government should be clear about the objectives of the curriculum – which is designed for vocational education schools versus that which is designed for the vocational training – because the learning objectives of the vocational education and the vocational training are different; 2) teacher qualifications; 3) schools facilities and resources; and 4) the timeline to apply the modules and teach the competence.

It is important to realize the scope of the project and the resources needed before developing the curricula and using the CBA for the vocational education. The CBA in the vocational education should provide competencies that enable its students to enter higher academic institution such as universities and colleges. In other words, the curriculum approach and competency development for the secondary vocational education should be a holistic approach, to include academic skills, social skills and practical skills. As a result, teaching and learning outcomes will meet the objectives of the secondary vocational education and the needs of the market when it provides the market with skilled labour force while at the same time enabling students to be qualified to continue their higher education.

Weighing the advantages and disadvantages of the CBA approach, it is timely and reasonable to consider another approach which is more holistic and comprehensive, efficient and effective for the future. The author recommends the adoption of the Work-process based Curriculum Development method and Dual Training System, the success proven and dominant TVET system in the European countries, particularly Germany.

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Citation

Samara, M. (2018). Curricula Approaches and Competence Development for Secondary Vocational Education Schools in Palestine. In: TVET@Asia, issue 11, 1-12. Online: http://www.tvet-online.asia/issue11/samara_tvet11.pdf (retrieved 15.07.2018).